Cubs place Welington Castillo on disabled list, designate Jose Veras for assignment - MLB

Cubs starting catcher Welington Castillo is disabled list bound with a rib cage injury suffered Sunday and they’ve called up journeyman backup catcher Eli Whiteside from Triple-A to replace him on the roster.

Chicago also welcomed Hector Rondon back from paternity leave and designated for assignment reliever Jose Veras, who was signed to a one-year, $4 million deal this offseason with the idea that he’d serve as the team’s closer. Instead he ended up saving zero games before being dropped with an 8.10 ERA in 13 innings.

Veras has generally been a setup-caliber reliever and as recently as last season had a 3.02 ERA with 60 strikeouts in 62 innings for the Tigers and Astros, but it seems unlikely that another team would want to take on his remaining salary via waiver claim.

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ST. LOUIS — Miles Mikolas is sticking with the St. Louis Cardinals.

The right-hander signed a three-year, $55.75 million contract on Friday that will carry through the 2025 season.

The new deal replaces a $68 million, four-year contract signed in February 2019 that covered the 2020-23 seasons and was set to pay $15.75 million this year.

Mikolas will receive a $5 million signing bonus payable July 1 and will make $18.75 million in 2023 and $16 million in each of the following two seasons. Mikolas can earn a $250,000 bonus for winning a Cy Young Award, $50,000 for All-Star election or selection or winning a Gold Glove, $100,000 for League Championship Series MVP and $150,000 for World Series MVP.

Mikolas is scheduled to make the second opening-day start of his big league career next Thursday when the Cardinals host Toronto. Mikolas went 12-13 with a 3.29 ERA last season while helping St. Louis to the NL Central title.

“Miles stands among the top pitchers in the game today, and has continued to provide a steady presence for us both in the rotation and inside the clubhouse,” St. Louis general manager John Mozeliak said in a statement.

Mikolas is 45-40 with a 3.79 in 143 games with San Diego, Texas and St. Louis. He recently pitched six shutout innings in two appearances for the U.S. in the World Baseball Classic.